Family and Consumer Sciences
UI Extension educators and other experts provide research-based information to help local families and communities make informed decisions about nutrition, financial management, relationship skills, food safety and healthy living.
The holiday's are a time for gathering family and friends to share and make memories. Here are some helpful hints and tips for preparing and cooking the Holiday Turkey safely.
Classes for 2024
Home Food Preservation
UI Extension is your source for current and safe recommendations for preserving foods at home. Explore food preservation information, classes and resources.
Learn how to produce high quality preserved foods and the science behind food preservation and food safety.
Individuals with little or no previous food preservation experience are welcome to enroll.
For more information, please contact Grace Wittman at 208-878-9461 or gwittman@uidaho.edu.
This six-week online course includes downloadable educational material, online discussion board to facilitate student interaction, a real-time chat with classmates and open book lesson quizzes.
Individuals with little or no previous food preservation experience are welcome to enroll.
Master Food Safety Advisors are volunteers who donate their time to provide safe, up-to-date food safety information to community members.
Browse food preservation topics for more information:
For more information contact
Eat Smart Idaho
The UI Extension Eat Smart Idaho program is designed to help limited-resource adults learn how to stretch their food dollars to provide tasty, low-cost and healthy meals for their families.
For every dollar invested in nutrition education for limited resource learners, enough Idahoans change their eating habits to save more than $13 in future health care costs because their risks for serious nutrition-related diseases has been reduced.
Eat Smart Idaho is funded by two Federal grants, allowing University of Idaho Extension to deliver classes specifically for those with limited resources.
These grants are provided by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service in cooperation with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and by USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture.
Nutrition education is critical for the health and well-being of children and their families.
Malnutrition, along with environmental factors associated with poverty, can permanently limit physical growth, brain development and cognitive functioning.
The longer a child’s nutritional, emotional and educational needs are not met, the greater the likelihood of cognitive impairments.
For more information, please visit the UI Extension Eat Smart Idaho website, or contact Cammie Jayo, Eat Smart Idaho Program Coordinator, at cjayo@uidaho.edu or 208-734-9590.
Health and Nutrition
UI Extension health and nutrition experts help residents learn about nutrition and food safety.
Food Smart Families is a partnership between 4-H Youth Development and Eat Smart Idaho.
Teen members with UI Extension 4-H Youth Development co-teach classes with Eat Smart Idaho advisors and UI Extension Educators. Through these classes, children in grades 4-12 learn about healthy food choices, grocery budgeting, safe preparation and cooking strategies.
UI Extension educators offer a variety of programs, workshops and seminars to help both families and individuals learn how to improve their financial management practices.
Through the UI Food Technology Center, individuals can receive comprehensive business, technical and educational assistance to start or improve their business.
If you are interested in becoming a vendor at an Idaho farmer’s market, please print and complete a certification test. Mailing instructions are included in the test.
Certificates will be sent to you if you pass the test. Please visit the South Central Public Health District’s website for more information.
UI Extension delivers HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) and practical food safety training to Idaho food processors.
Technical on-site assistance for food processors is also. Visit the TechHelp website for more information.
4-H Leadership Now
4-H Leadership NOW! Advanced Leadership Development is a program for teens that want to learn and gain more leadership opportunities.
Leadership NOW! is for teens ages 13-18 interested in furthering their leadership skills. This is a 2-year program. Youth will attend four zoom meetings and six hours of in person training each year. For more information on program guidelines and the application use the links below.